Oriental Rugs Part 29

Carpet, size 7 feet 4 inches by 5 feet 4 inches, attributed to Western Persia, at end of XVI Century, and purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, N. Y. $5,600

Persian carpet, XVI Century, described on page 86 5,600

Polish silk carpet, XVI Century, size 6 feet 6 inches by 4 feet 7 inches 4,700

Polish silk carpet, XVI Century, size 6 feet 6 inches by 4 feet 7 inches 3,500

Polish silk carpet, XVI Century, size 6 feet 11 inches by 4 feet 10 inches 12,300

Silk carpet, XVI Century, size 7 feet 2 inches by 6 feet 5 inches, stated to have belonged to the Ardebil Mosque 35,500

Moorish carpet, XVI Century, size 10 feet 11 inches by 5 feet 10 inches, stated to have belonged to the Ardebil Mosque and purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, N. Y. 15,200

Hispano Moresque Mosque carpet, size 34 feet 5 inches by 16 feet 8 inches, flat st.i.tch 8,600

Carpet attributed to Western Iran, size 16 feet 4 inches by 11 feet 2 inches, and purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, N. Y. 19,600

Carpet similar to the Mosque carpet of Ardebil, XVI Century, size 23 feet 11 inches by 13 feet 5 inches 27,000

The value of rugs over fifty years of age but not sufficiently old to belong to the antique cla.s.s also depends as much on the technique of weave, drawing, colouring, and rarity as on the size; yet even this must be taken into consideration. In proportion to their size the most expensive of these rugs are the Kirmans, Sehnas, and Niris from Persia; the Ghiordes and Ladiks from Asia Minor; the Daghestans and Kabistans from Caucasia; and the Royal Bokharas and Yomuds from Central Asia.

Considering both utility and attractiveness the least expensive are probably the Sarabends and Mosuls from the Persian group, the Yuruks from Asia Minor, Kazaks and Tcherkess from Caucasia, and Afghans and Beluchistans from Central Asia. As is the case with antique carpets, the prices of all old rugs in good condition are steadily advancing.

There is likewise a tendency for the prices of modern rugs to increase with each year, since on account of the gradual opening of Oriental countries to the markets of the world, and the greater demand for rugs, the wages of weavers are increasing. Some of them, as the Tabriz, Gorevans, Kermanshahs, Muskabads, Mahals, Sarouks, and Kashans, are now made almost exclusively under the direction of the work-house system, and are sold at prices that fluctuate but slightly. But in a short time the prices of all of them will doubtless be higher.

When a rug of carpet size is required, the Kermanshahs are generally preferred on account of their soft colouring and refined patterns, that harmonise with the furnishings of most reception rooms. Less expensive and more showy are the Gorevans, which are suitable for halls or dining rooms. In the Afghans, which are splendid rugs for a den, are combined durability with a moderate price. Within recent years some of the Indian rugs, as the Amritsars and Lah.o.r.es, have been growing in favour, as they not only have good colours, artistic patterns, and exceedingly good texture, but are reasonable in price. Of smaller rugs required both for ornament and use, the Shiraz, Feraghan, Mosul, Bergamo, Tcherkess, Bokhara, and Beluchistan are desirable.

As is the case with other works of art, so much deception can be practised in the sale of rugs that a purchaser cannot use too much circ.u.mspection. Sometimes through ignorance or with intention, a dealer will declare that the wool of a rug which has been coloured with aniline dyes has been coloured with vegetable dyes only; that a rug washed with acid has matured naturally; that a new rug which has been artificially worn almost to the knot is an antique; or that a particular rug belongs to the cla.s.s desired, as where a Shirvan is offered for a Shiraz or a Bijar for a Bergamo, which ordinarily are worth much more. It is, accordingly, discreet to buy only of such firms as have a reputation which is above reproach; and if for any reason it is difficult to learn the standing of a firm, the purchaser would do well to make an effort to test its reliability by inquiring about the qualities of some cla.s.s of rugs with which he is familiar before purchasing others; and if there appears to be any intention to deceive, he should at once look elsewhere. In any event, he should take a guarantee that the rug purchased is as represented. Firms that have gained an honourable reputation by honest dealing deserve the patronage of the public, and will always be found ready to make rest.i.tution if any mistake has been made.

At times, the best rugs may be bought at auctions and at the fairest prices. Auctions such as the Yerkes, where estates are being closed or where firms are dissolved, occasionally occur, when every opportunity is given the purchaser to thoroughly examine in advance pieces which are sold without reservation to the highest bidder. On such occasions, rare pieces are sometimes bought at very moderate prices. But as a rule, unless the purchaser is a good judge and has previously carefully examined a coveted piece in broad daylight, it is better not to buy at auctions. During the sale it is impossible to properly examine a rug.

The glare of electric light thrown upon it gives a too favourable impression of its beauty. The compet.i.tive bids of other real or fict.i.tious purchasers and the words of the auctioneer too often lead beyond the dictates of good judgment. At such times one would do well to remember the old words _caveat emptor_.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] The Yerkes sale.

[2] Stewart Dix, in "Arts of Old j.a.pan."

[3] The influence of the physical aspects of a country on its art as expressed in architecture is nowhere more clearly shown than in Egypt, and there is little doubt that, likewise, the character of the native rugs was influenced by the spirit of the sluggish Nile and the boundless desert wastes. But as Egypt long ago ceased to be a rug-producing country, and none of its ancient rugs remain, it will only be briefly referred to in this work, though symbolic designs which had their origin there during the Caliphate or even earlier were adopted by foreign weavers and occasionally appear with modified form in modern rugs.

[4] It is said that he carried Persian weavers as captives to Asia Minor and Constantinople.

[5] This is a product of flowers of the genus _Delphinum_ that grows in the Himalayas. It is also obtained as a powder from Afghanistan.

[6] In a few rare instances a knot is tied to four threads of warp.

[7] Most Sehna knots are right-hand knots, but the Sehna knots of a large proportion of Khora.s.san rugs are left-hand knots.

[8] As far as the writer is aware, no one has. .h.i.therto called attention to the many precise distinctions there are in weaving, and to the fact that each cla.s.s of rugs follows a distinct type of its own. For this reason this branch of the subject is treated more fully than would otherwise be necessary.

[9] A few of the weavers about Gozene in Asia Minor make rugs with a double foundation, in which a single thread of coa.r.s.e weft crosses twice between parallel rows of threads of warp. Only rarely is this method followed in other districts.

[10] Sir George Birdwood has made the statement that "A deep and complicate symbolism, originating in Babylonia and possibly in India, pervades every denomination of Oriental carpet. Thus the carpet itself prefigures s.p.a.ce and eternity, and the general pattern or filling, as it is technically termed, the fleeting, finite universe of animated beauty.

Every colour has its significance; and the design, whether mythological or natural, human, b.e.s.t.i.a.l, or floral, has its hidden meaning. Even the representatives of men hunting wild beasts have their special indications. So have the natural flowers of Persia their symbolism, wherever they are introduced, generally following that of their colours.

The very irregularities either in drawing or colouring, to be observed in almost every Oriental carpet, and invariably in Turkoman carpets, are seldom accidental, the usual deliberate intention being to avert the evil eye and insure good luck."

[11] The equivalent of 106 feet square.

[12] See his work, "The Holy Carpet of the Mosque at Ardebil."

[13] Ismael reigned, 1502-1524; Tamasp reigned, 1524-1576.

[14] 1586-1628.

[15] These will be considered in a later chapter.

[16] This group includes both antique and modern rugs.

[17] Robert Kerr Porter, a well-known traveller, stated that the floor of the audience hall of the governor at Tabriz, whom he visited in 1818, "was entirely overspread with Herat carpets, those of that manufacture being the richest that can be made."

[18] By "Type Characteristics" is meant the characteristics of such types of the cla.s.s as are most frequently seen. There are exceptions to these types.

[19] As this is the case with most rugs, only the exceptions to this feature will be noticed in the type characteristics of other cla.s.ses.

[20] Ibn Batutah.

[21] Of modern Ispahans.

[22] "Burlington Magazine," December, 1909.

[23] In "Industrial Arts of India."

[24] Sidney Churchill in the Imperial Vienna Book says that "the dyes of Sultanabad have perhaps the most extensive colour scheme in Persia."

[25] "Industrial Arts of India."

[26] Mrs. Elizabeth Bishop in "Journeys in Persia and Kurdistan."

[27] Encyclopedia Britannica.

[28] It is also to be noted that within the last few years large numbers of pieces bearing resemblance to old Oriental rugs have been woven about Constantinople.

[29] One of the most interesting is at Sivas, where are the remains of a most beautiful Seljuk gateway, with architectural lines that might well have been taken for a weaver's model. As in many prayer rugs, the engaged columns support a high arch over which a panel rests above a figured spandrel. The outlines of each of these parts suggest most forcibly the drawing of the prayer rug, and the resemblance is carried even further; for corresponding with the border stripes is the chiselled masonry that once rested above the panel and still extends to the foot of the entrance at each side of the arch.

[30] One of these is represented in Dr. Bode's "Knupfteppiche," where it appears as a secondary stripe.

[31] An intermediate pattern suggested by each is found in an old Asia Minor piece owned by Dr. Bode.

[32] A. Bogolubow, in his excellent work "Tapis de l'Asie Centrale,"